SANTA MARIA, CA – NOVEMBER 27, 2012… For the fourth straight season, car counts and the level of competition has continued to rise for the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series. With 105 drivers taking the green flag, six claimed feature wins in the 14 race schedule and Campbell’s Bud Kaeding added his name to the champion’s list. Hollister’s Ryan Bernal won the inaugural USAC vs. ASCS Grudge Series and Austin Liggett of Tracy earned Rookie of the Year honors. In all, the average car count for the traditional 360 sprint car series was twenty-six, up thirteen percent from last year.
Committed to making a charge for the championship, Bud Kaeding served notice to the competition by winning the March 8th season opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Piloting Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion won three more main events and became the all-time leader in that category. Kaeding had an outstanding season and led the series with four feature wins (tied), seven heat race victories, two Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Awards (tied), and eleven top-5 finishes. In addition, the newly crowned champion led 47 feature laps with twelve starts in the campaign.
For the second straight season, Ryan Bernal finished second in the championship points. Moving to Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal nearly stole the opening night feature from Kaeding in a close finish. Last year’s Rookie of the Year rallied to score four main events, including Santa Maria’s “Bud Stanfield Memorial” on June 23rd and the season ending “Cotton Classic” at Hanford. Ryan led the series with four feature wins (tied), three Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Awards, two Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main wins (tied), two Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Awards (tied), eleven top-10 finishes (tied), and 91 feature laps led. Bernal closed out his season with four heat race victories and won his second straight Santa Maria track title.
Rauma, Finland’s Markus Niemela put together a solid season and finished third in the point chase. Driving Steve Watt’s #81 Lost Reality / SWE Maxim, Niemela did not win a main event but was a force to be reckoned with throughout the year. Getting adjusted to the larger tracks in Central California, Markus’ best finish was a third at Kings Speedway on April 7th. The star of his own reality show had one Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led to his credit.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton had a tough season and claimed fourth in the point standings. Piloting his #17V Johnston Calf Pens / Buster & Ziggy Enterprises Bullet, “Hollywood” was another fast driver that did not score a feature win. The all-time leader in fast time awards posted a season best third place finish on May 5th at Santa Maria, where he claimed second in track points. At season’s end, Faria earned one Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award, four heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, and nine top-10 finishes.
Scoring fifth in the point chase was Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd. Driving the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, the defending series champion won $5,000 at the Santa Maria “John Jewett Memorial / Billet Cup” on September 29th. Also claiming the “Jim Evett Memorial” at Hanford on August 4th, Vander Weerd had one Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, eight top-10 finishes, and 72 feature laps led to his credit.
“The Rickster” Ricky Kirkbride of Bakersfield had a solid season and claimed sixth in the final standings. The pilot of the Bob & Toni Van Meter’s #87 Fred Cummings Motorsports Maxim did not win a main event, but posted a season best fifth place finish at Santa Maria on May 5th. With veteran mechanic Moose Lacy turning the wrenches, Kirkbride raced to one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, eight top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led during the campaign.
Santa Maria’s “Showtime” Danny Sheridan finished seventh in the point chase and claimed second in the USAC vs. ASCS Grudge Series. Closing the year out in Keith Ford’s #73X King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Sheridan did not win a feature but had three runner-up finishes. Also driving the Kittle Motorsports’ #18K Sherman and Warren Dorathy’s #21 KPC, the veteran driver had one Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award, five heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 10 feature laps led.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda placed eighth in the point standings. The pilot of Steve Watt’s #18 Christian Stover Foundation / SWE Maxim had championship aspirations until a Terre Haute crash during Indiana Sprint Week ended his season. Mitchell did not score a feature win during the campaign, but ran second to Bud Kaeding at Bakersfield on March 24th. The USAC/CRA standout earned one Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award, four heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and 19 feature laps led. Mitchell is still on the mend from his eye injury and everyone with the USAC West Coast Series wishes him a complete and speedy recovery.
Bakersfield’s Rusty Carlile scored ninth in the championship points. Driving his #51 SouthWest Contractors / N.T.S. Incorporated Bullet, Carlile was another fast driver that did not win a main event in 2012. At Hanford’s “Jim Turner Memorial” on September 8th, “The Bakersfield Bullet” had his best performance of the year with a third place run after starting fifteenth. To his credit, Carlile recorded one heat race victory, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, and six top-10 finishes on the year.
Finishing tenth in the point chase was Justyne Hamblin of Hanford. Driving the JH Motorsports’ #8 Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino / Kings River Commodities SpeedTech, Hamblin had a tough season and did not win a main event. Like Carlile, the former series champion posted her best finish at Hanford’s “Jim Turner Memorial,” recording a fifth place run after starting thirteenth. Justyne closed out 2012 with one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, and three top-10 finishes. Before the final checkered flag of the season, the popular driver announced her retirement from sprint car racing and will be missed at the races.
Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman of Ventura, and Buckeye, Arizona’s Charles Davis Jr. also claimed feature wins in 2012. Driving for Keith Ford, Larson won both nights of Tulare’s Faria Memorial and scored the Saturday finale from 20th in an unfamiliar team car. On July 7th, Kruseman raced the Ford #73X to victory at Santa Maria’s “Doug Fort Memorial / War at the Shore.” Davis, the ASCS Canyon Region Champion, piloted the Massey Motorsports #50 to the September 22nd “Brawl For It All” triumph at Canyon Speedway Park. It should be noted that Ford, Crew Chief Jimmy May, and the JFM team made series history with seven wins (4: Bernal, 2: Larson, 1: Kruseman) on the season.
Austin Liggett finished eleventh in points and earned Rookie of the Year honors after a tough battle with Verdemont Heights’ Chris Gansen. Driving the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Home Connections Inc. Maxim, Liggett showed improvement after teaming with Crew Chief Vinnie Lattner to score his best finish, a third at Hanford on August 4th. The Wingless Spec Sprint graduate had one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, seven top-10 finishes, and 1 feature lap led.
As this writing goes to press, Series Promoter Chris Kearns is working on the upcoming 2013 schedule and USAC officials are looking at options for the annual awards banquet. Details for both items will be released as soon as possible. Mike Truex’s Loudpedal Productions has DVDs available for purchase that feature the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series and videos can be ordered by calling (805) 407-7229 or visiting www.loudpedalvideo.com.
The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, ButlerBuilt, Competition Suspension Inc., Cory Kruseman’s Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, LRB Inc. Race Products, ParkerStore of Phoenix, Ringers Gloves, Rod End Supply, SBI Fuel Systems, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and Weld Racing for their support.
For more information on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/USAC-West-Coast-Sprint-Car-Series/369549755817). If you or your company would like to become part of the series for the upcoming season, please email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
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2012 USAC WEST COAST FEATURE WINNERS:
March 8*: Las Vegas, NV (np) – Bud Kaeding
March 17: Tulare, CA – RAIN
March 24: Bakersfield, CA – Bud Kaeding
April 7: Hanford, CA – Ryan Bernal
April 14: Tulare, CA – RAIN
April 21: Santa Maria, CA – RAIN
May 5: Santa Maria, CA – Ryan Bernal
May 11: Tulare, CA – Kyle Larson
May 12: Tulare, CA – Kyle Larson
June 9: Hanford, CA – Bud Kaeding
June 23: Santa Maria, CA – Ryan Bernal
July 7*: Santa Maria, CA – Cory Kruseman
July 14: Tulare, CA – CANCELLED
August 4: Hanford, CA – Richard Vander Weerd
September 8: Hanford, CA – Bud Kaeding
September 22*: Peoria, AZ (np)- Charles Davis Jr.
September 29: Santa Maria, CA (np)- Richard Vander Weerd
October 13: Hanford, CA – Ryan Bernal
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* = USAC vs. ASCS Grudge Series
np = Non-point event.
FINAL USAC WEST COAST SPRINT STANDINGS:
1. Bud Kaeding 615; 2. Ryan Bernal 563; 3. Markus Niemela 484; 4. Danny Faria Jr. 483; 5. Richard Vander Weerd 460; 6. Ricky Kirkbride 401; 7. Danny Sheridan 398; 8. Matt Mitchell 391; 9. Rusty Carlile 389; 10. Justyne Hamblin 354; 11. Austin Liggett 353; 12. Chris Gansen 306; 13. Kevin Barnes 287; 14. Chris Ennis 238; 15. Don Gansen 238; 16. Jace Vander Weerd 226; 17. Tyler Dolacki 184; 18. Steve Conrad 181; 19. Jared Little 158; 20. Matt Day 156.
FINAL USAC vs. ASCS GRUDGE SERIES STANDINGS:
1. Ryan Bernal 468; 2. Danny Sheridan 453; 3. R.J. Johnson 441; 4. Rick Ziehl 411; 5. Brody Roa 389; 6. Mike Spencer 379; 7. Mike Martin 370; 8. Charles Davis Jr. 295; 9. Troy Rutherford 293; 10. Bud Kaeding 290; 11. Cory Kruseman 286; 12. Danny Faria Jr. 271; 13. Brian Hosford 250; 14. Josh Pelkey 249; 15. Tom Hendricks 236; 16. Andy Reinbold 228; 17. Ricky Kirkbride 189; 18. Bruce St. James 184; 19. Rusty Carlile 172; 20. Justin Quinn 170.